Another report, here
Blackwater logs depict mortal threat to guards .
The Prosecution:
In announcing the charges last week, prosecutors said that an exhaustive investigation showed that none of the dead had been threats to the contractors and that there had been no attempt to provide reasonable warnings to those who came under attack.
"Iraqi citizens were going to lunch, stopping at the market, traveling with their families and children," said Joseph Persichini Jr., FBI assistant director-in-charge at the bureau's Washington Field Office, which led the investigation. He said the contractors "displayed a blatant disregard for the core values of the United States Constitution and failed to adhere to the rule of law and the respect for human life."
Oh......wait, that's not quite true.....
The Defense:
"It is shameful that the government would mislead the American people," by not revealing evidence that the guards were shot at, McCool said. He called the charges "ill-considered."
"Unless these guys are lying to their command watch in real time, making up stuff, that's real-time reporting that they were taking small arms fire," defense attorney Thomas Connolly told the Associated Press.
It would not surprise me if these men were being sacrificed to get the SOFA agreement signed. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if the DOJ went after this to test the MEJA again.
The Prosecution: In announcing the charges last week, prosecutors said that an exhaustive investigation showed that none of the dead had been threats to the contractors and that there had been no attempt to provide reasonable warnings to those who came under attack. "Iraqi citizens were going to lunch, stopping at the market, traveling with their families and children," said Joseph Persichini Jr., FBI assistant director-in-charge at the bureau's Washington Field Office, which led the investigation. He said the contractors "displayed a blatant disregard for the core values of the United States Constitution and failed to adhere to the rule of law and the respect for human life."
This is rich. It amazes me that every story regarding this leaves out the fact that a bomb went off prior to any gun fight.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?id=3665443&contentIndex=1&page=6&start=false
OMG, if you've been in Iraq a day, you know that a bomb exploding makes you a sitting duck. And if you look at the link above, it wasn't a small bomb either.